Footwear



Oct. 23, 1956 M. FRIEDMANN, JR 2,767,487

FOOTWEAR Filed Jari. 28, 1955 FIG. l

INVENTOR. MAm-m F|z\EDMANu,;\a

United States Patent FOOTWEAR Martin Friedmann, Jr., Norfolk, Va.

Application January 28, 1955, Serial No. 484,702

1 Claim. (Cl. 3dS-2.5)

This invention relates to footwear, and more particularly to shoes designed for women.

In U. S. Patent No. 2,424,609 to the present applicant there is disclosed a single unitary shoe structure comprising an arch and heel supporting section formed integrally with a sole structure.

While the prior structure has proven satisfactory, it has been found that by eliminating the sole portion of the shoe structure of the aforesaid patent, that a unitary construction is obtained which possesses the advantages of being readily connectible to any conventional sole and when so attached to such sole affords greater flexibility to the wearer in Walking.

It is another object of this invention to provide, as an article of manufacture, a unitary arch and heel support unit which may be made of a suitable lightweight material, such as plastics, providing the necessary rigidity to support the arch and heel of a wearer.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a shoe wherein the heel and toe-receiving portions thereof may be made in a variety of designs without affecting the basic concept or assembly of the shoe, and wherein the heel and arch supporting unit may be molded of plastic materials of different colors which will either match or be contrasted with the heel and toe-receiving members of the shoe. Thus, it will be appreciated that a great variety of decorative appearances in the shoe design may be achieved without departing from the basic concept or requiring additional expense and work in the assembly of the shoe.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description, forming the specication, and taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the heel and arch support unit;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional View taken substantially along line 2 2 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a perspective View of another form of the arch and heel support unit; and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the numeral 12 designates generally an arch and heel support unit. Such unit comprises a shank 20, a heel supporting portion 22 carried by and extending upwardly and outwardly from the shank, and a flat lower projection member 24 carried by the shank and extending outwardly therefrom in spaced relation below the heel supporting portion.

To provide a reinforcement for the tension side of the unit 12, there is provided a relatively narrow plate 44, Figures 1 and 2, which extends transversely through the heel supporting portion, shank and flat projection member along a medial plane and extending from the free end of the portion 22 to the free end of the member 24, as clearly shown in Figure l. Figure 2 shows the medial disposition of the reinforcing strip in the form of the plate 44 of rectangular cross section which may be imbedded in the material from which the unit 12 is formed to extend transversely therethrough from the lower surface or face to the upper surface or face to be coplanar therewith.

In the other form of the unit 12, a reinforcement strip or member for the tension side T of the unit is provided by an elongated strip of metal mesh 46 extending centrally longitudinally along the upper face of the arch and heel supporting portion and over the outer surface of the shank around the longitudinal edge 28 and thence across the re-entrant formation 36 and over the lower face 32 of the heel tread member 24 from a point adjacent the free end of the portion 22 to adjacent the free end of the member 24. The strip 46 is secured on the unit and is disposed in a channel 48 of rectangular cross section and of the same extent as that ascribed to the strip 42 so that the flat surfaces previously referred to will still obtain since the outer face of the metal mesh strip 46 will not extend above the surfaces in which the channel 4S is provided.

While there is shown and described the preferred ernbodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the structure is susceptible to change and modification within the practicability of the invention and therefore should be limited only by the scope of the claim appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

In a shoe for women, the combination of a hat shoe sole, with lan arch and heel support unit comprising a shank, a heel supporting portion conformably shaped to fit the instep and heel of a wearer and extending upwardly and outwardly from said shank, a lower projecting member carried by and extending outwardly from said shank in spaced relation beneath said portion, the upper surfaces of said supporting portion and said shank dening along with the lower face of said member the tension side of the unit, said tension side having a channel therein opening therethrough from adjacent the free end of the heel supporting portion to adjacent the free end of said member, a strip of metal mesh material secured within said channel and of a thickness no greater than the depth of said channel.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 129,616 Glassie Sept. 23, 1941 D. 145,817 Payne Oct. 22, 1946 2,192,026 Caplan Feb. 27, 1940 2,217,341 Kamborian Oct. 8, 1940 2,263,187 Parkhurst Nov. 18, 1941 2,303,431 Brophy Dec. 1, 1942 2,424,609 Friedmann July 29, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 950,390 France Sept. 26, 1949 OTHER REFERENCES American Shoemaking July 31, 1940 page 9 (Copy in Div. 11). 

